Buffalo

The buffalo of the Addo are descendants of a 30+ strong Cape buffalo herd, enclosed with the formation of the park and the possibly the largest disease free herd in South Africa. At 1.5 meter high on the shoulder (males) and with those massive horns, weighing around 625 kg, they are pretty impressive animals. The picture below show what happens with age, as they lose their hair. They are also the saddest looking bunch of cows I have ever seen! He he. Interestingly the Addo buffalo seemed to be more nocturnal, and it is said it could have been due to hunting pressures, but this is also changing as the presence of lions, introduced later into the park, has also seen buffalo coming out to feed on open grasslands and at waterholes during the day. In the Kruger National Park they occur in huge herds, up to 1000+ animals, but in Addo we saw only one biggish herd of about 30 – 50. They are usually calm animals, but also can become seriously aggravated and dangerous, attaining speeds up to 50 km/h.